Trump Asks Guggenheim For Van Gogh, Museum Offers Used Toilet

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — It's customary for prominent art museums to lend the president famous works to display in the White House residencies. But the Guggenheim museum in New York City put its own spin on the tradition when it offered Donald and Melania Trump an 18-karat gold toilet.

The artwork, dubbed "America" by creator Maurizio Cattelan, was offered to the Trumps when they requested a famous Van Gogh, the Washington Post first reported. Donald and Melania reportedly had their eyes on "Landscape With Snow," but Guggenheim curator Nancy Spector flushed the request down the drain.

Instead, Spector let the presidential couple know in an email that Cattelan "would like to offer ["America"] to the White House for a long-term loan," the Washington Post reported. "It is, of course, extremely valuable and somewhat fragile, but we would provide all the instructions for its installation and care."

When asked about the offer, Cattelan told the Post "it's a delicate subject."

The fully functional luxury commode was displayed in a cubicle of the Guggenheim's unisex restroom for more than a year with visitors invited to use it as they would the regular porcelain fixtures. "America" was taken off view on Sept. 15, 2017.

The creation of "America," pitched to the museum by Cattelan in 2015, coincided with the rise of Donald Trump to the United States presidency.

The toilet was constructed using millions of dollars worth of gold, Spector wrote in a blog post. Whether "America" is a work of art, or simply an overly-luxurious toilet, thousands of people lined up to "participate" with the fixture during its run at the Guggenheim.

Just before it was taken off view, more than 100,000 people had experienced "unprecedented intimacy" with "America," wrote Spector.

Photo by Kris McKay, Copyright Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation